Curious Minds, Capable Hands: The Art of Learning Through Doing

Discover how direct engagement and real-world scenarios improve academic results. They not only aid in retention but also cultivate the important soft skills required for modern work environments.

Boost learning, retention, and skills with experiential education. This approach, using real-world scenarios, builds capable individuals ready for the modern workforce.

I distinctly remember the moment I realised that my library of business books hadn’t prepared me for reality.

I had spent months devouring literature on negotiation. I had memorised acronyms and highlighted paragraphs, and I convinced myself I was an expert.

Then, I sat down across from a frustrated client who was threatening to cancel a major contract.

My mind went blank. The theories I had stored away felt rigid and useless against the raw emotion in the room. I stumbled, I stuttered, and I sweated.

That day, I learned a painful but valuable lesson. Understanding a concept intellectually is very different from embodying it in practice.

We often confuse reading with learning. We assume that because we have consumed the information, we have the skill.

But true ability isn’t built in the safety of a study; it is forged in the heat of the moment.

Key Takeaways

• The Competence Gap: Passive consumption of information creates a false sense of security that often crumbles under real-world pressure.
• Friction Fuels Memory: We keep lessons learned through struggle and application far better than those we simply read or hear.
• Empathy requires contact: You can’t develop genuine emotional intelligence or leadership presence without direct, often messy, human interaction.

The Illusion of Preparedness

There is a seduction in theory. It is clean, logical, and safe.

When you read a case study, the outcome is already decided. You feel smart because you can see the path the protagonist took.

Nevertheless, this passive approach misses the chaos of variables that exist in real life.

I used to dedicate hours to meticulously plan projects. I thought if I planned enough, I would remove risk.

Still, as soon as the project commenced, a team member’s illness or a budget cut would occur. My perfect plan would fall apart.

I had to shift my mindset from rigid planning to learning by doing.

Experiential learning forces us to confront the unexpected. It demands that we adapt rather than just recite.

Muscle Memory for the Mind

Think about how you learned to ride a bike.

You didn’t do it by studying physics or watching videos of cyclists. You got on the bike, wobbled, and fell off a few times.

That wobble is where the learning happens.

In professional development, we often try to skip the wobble. We want the straight line to success.

Yet, learning from setbacks provides data that success never can.

A failed presentation teaches you more about reading a room than a standing ovation ever will.

I recall a time I completely mishandled a team meeting. I spoke too much and listened too little. The energy in the room died.

The discomfort of that silence stayed with me. It forced me to change my approach in a way that no management workshop could have.

It taught me to value reflective practice as a tool for improvement.

The Soft Skills Foundry

We hear a lot about the skills gap in the modern workforce.

Employers aren’t just looking for technical proficiency; they are desperate for people who can communicate, empathise, and lead.

Still, you can’t acquire soft skills in leadership from a textbook.

You build empathy by sitting with a colleague who is struggling and finding the right words to support them.

Navigating a crisis when you lack all the answers builds resilience.

I once worked with a brilliant coder who struggled to lead a team. He tried to solve people’s problems like software bugs.

He began to understand only when we assigned him a role. In this role, he had to mentor a junior developer.

He had to explain complex ideas simply. He had to have patience. He had to listen.

The act of mentoring forced him to develop emotional intelligence that he couldn’t code his way into.

Creating a Sandbox for Growth

If we agree that doing is superior to just reading, how do we apply this?

We need to treat our work environments less like factories and more like laboratories.

This requires psychological safety.

If your team is terrified of making a mistake, they will stick to safe, known paths. They won’t experiment, and so, they won’t grow.

I encourage my teams to run small pilots. “Try it for a week,” I say.

This approach reduces the risks involved. It turns a scary decision into a manageable experiment.

It also encourages harnessing curiosity. Instead of asking, “Will this work?”, we ask, “What will happen if we do this?”

This slight shift in language moves us from a fear of failure to a pursuit of discovery.

The Bias Towards Action

Taking action allows us to overcome the distraction of overthinking.

We often get stuck in analysis paralysis, waiting for the perfect moment or the perfect information.

But clarity rarely comes from thinking; it comes from acting.

When I started writing, I spent months researching how to write the perfect article. I wrote nothing.

Only when I made a commitment to publishing imperfect drafts did I discover my voice.

I realised that imperfect action beats perfect inaction every time.

By getting your hands dirty, you engage with the material. You move from being a spectator to a participant.

You transform from a curious mind into capable hands.

Wrapping Up

Theory provides the map, but action is the journey. While books and courses have their place, they are merely the starting line. We must enter the arena to truly grow. We must embrace the wobble. We must learn through the messy, beautiful process of doing.

🌱 Curious Minds, Capable Hands: The Growthenticity Connection

The core ideas explored in this article aren’t just isolated concepts; they deeply resonate with the principles of what I call ‘Growthenticity’:

“The continuous, integrated process of becoming more oneself (authentic) through leading with questions, learning through action, and growing by embracing uncertainty and imperfection, all fuelled by curiosity.”

When we choose to learn by doing, we are explicitly embracing imperfection. We are accepting that we won’t get it right the first time, and that is part of the process. This approach demands curiosity—asking “what happens if I try this?”—and requires the courage to lead with questions rather than pretending to have all the answers. It is the ultimate expression of authentic growth.

👉 I encourage you to check out my paid Substack offerings at Lead, Learn, Grow. You can further explore concepts like ‘Growthenticity.’ You will also gain access to practical tools and connect with a supportive community. This community focuses on encouraging authentic and impactful growth.

Join us as we unpack these ideas and support each other on our journeys.

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Your Turn

What is one skill you are now trying to learn? What is one small, practical action you can take today? This action should help you move from theory to practice.